CHAPTER SEVEN
JAMES
FOREST CAMP
(ONE YEAR AGO)
The world was a messed-up place. Not everyone was a threat, but out here, anyone could be. Nothing came free, especially not kindness. Everything had a price, and out here, it was always more than you could pay.
Life had taught me some tough lessons. I’d seen friends turn their backs, watched whole towns get wiped out at dawn, and spent nights with women who were gone by breakfast.
I was always on the road until Michael found me and brought me to his family’s ranch.
And there was Sarah Williams.
Michael’s little sister. That’s all she was. Or at least that’s what I kept trying to tell myself.
Being on the road with a woman like Sarah changed everything. Life felt more alive, somehow. She left her mark on camp by stacking books beside our sleeping bags, scattering wildflowers she’d picked, and lighting so many candles it looked like a shrine. But it made the dark feel less empty.
It was warm wherever she was. Maybe that’s why it felt like home. Or maybe it only felt like home because she was there. I couldn’t explain it. It was just perfect.
She was perfect.
That afternoon, I couldn’t stop staring at her while she braided her hair.
She was sitting by the fire, relaxed and close enough to touch.
Truth was, I hadn’t taken my eyes off her since we escaped the attack on her dad’s ranch.
Just another day in paradise, watching the girl I wanted more than air do… well, pretty much anything.
My pulse raced just looking at her curves.
Christ, I was fucked. It was a goddamn miracle Michael hadn’t caught me undressing Sarah from head to toe with my eyes every chance I’d gotten these past few months.
I knew she was off-limits, but fuck, she was beautiful.
And deep down, I wanted to claim her as mine.
Dangerous ground, James. Dangerous fucking ground.
It had been two weeks since I last hugged her. Since I pulled her out of that basement and Michael told us their dad didn’t make it.
She never cried, though. She was too strong.
We’d been camping out in the woods, moving a bit farther each day from her dad’s ranch—the only place I’d ever felt like I belonged. I spent five months there, doing my best to protect it. Built fences, set traps, pulled night shifts. Didn’t matter, though. We still lost it.
I guess I should have known. It always ended like this.
I looked over at Michael by the lake, near our campsite. He was loading his handgun, fully focused, getting ready for our first run into the abandoned town nearby. His usual calm was gone, replaced by this rigid, tense stance. I knew he wasn’t just worried; he was scared.
Over the years, Michael had left the ranch plenty of times—unlike Sarah—but never by himself.
Their dad, Thomas Williams, had always led the way.
That day was his first time going out alone.
For him, this wasn’t just another scavenging run.
It was a rite of passage. The kind every son dreads but knows he’s gotta face one day.
Sarah was just finishing her braids when Michael quietly slid his gun back into his holster.
“Sarah, we’re heading into town to pick up some supplies. You’re staying here,” he said, trying to sound tough, though he couldn’t even look her in the eye.
Sarah’s calm expression turned to surprise in the blink of an eye. “What do you mean I’m staying here? Why can’t I come with you?”
“Look, Dad made me promise to keep you safe, and we don’t know what we’re walking into yet.” Michael slung an empty backpack over one shoulder. “That town could belong to somebody. It’s safer if you stay here at camp.”
Sarah pushed to her feet. “I won’t just sit here!”
There it was. Her stubborn side. Sarah never let anyone tell her what to do, and I admired the hell out of her for that.
Michael shook his head. “Dammit, Sarah! This isn’t up for debate.”
“What if something awful happens to both of you, huh? If I’m there, I could save your lives, you know. You ever think about that?”
She was brave. Too brave for her own good sometimes.
“Never risk your life to save mine,” I heard myself say, harsher than I meant it, but I didn’t take it back.
She pressed her lips together and turned to face me, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto mine. If looks could kill, let’s just say I’d be six feet under right now.
I was almost relieved when she turned back to her brother without saying a word to me.
“I should go, Michael. I shoot just as well as either of you boys.”
“You’re not fucking going. End of fucking story!” Michael snapped back, slamming a fist into his open hand.
Sarah clenched her jaw, ready to argue, but something in Michael’s face made her falter. Her eyes lingered on him, like she finally saw what I had.
Michael wasn’t ready for this. Not even close. Their dad did everything he could to toughen him up. Thought Michael would be strong enough to protect Sarah when it counted. But this world was worse than anything he could’ve imagined.
I kept an eye on Sarah, wondering what she’d do next as I dug an apple out of my backpack.
Leaning forward, elbows on my knees, I started tossing the apple back and forth between my hands.
Back on the ranch, it always fascinated me how those two could argue like they wanted to kill each other over the smallest things.
“Fine!” she burst out, throwing her hands up.
Wait… what? Sarah backing down? That didn’t happen every day.
Michael blinked. “Fine?”
“Yeah, fine, I’ll stay.”
Michael stared at her for a moment, then broke into a laugh. “That’s a fucking miracle!”
But the laughter didn’t last. Sarah’s foot started tapping impatiently on the ground, and the glare she shot Michael said she was still very much pissed, despite the whole “fine” thing.
“Before you go, dear brother,” she said, “let me ask you just one more thing.”
Michael sighed, rolling his eyes. “What now, Sarah?”
“How am I supposed to find a boyfriend if you won’t let me go anywhere or talk to anyone?”
“You’re not getting a boyfriend,” he deadpanned.
“So what? I’m just supposed to die a virgin?”
Michael winced as if he’d just been stabbed. “Dear God! I hope so.”
I couldn’t help myself—I fucking grinned. Not even Michael’s scowl and a hissed “cut it out” could wipe the smile off my face.
That was… surprisingly good news! I knew Michael banned every guy on the ranch from even looking at Sarah, but there were always whispers about her and Brian.
I couldn’t shake the thought she might’ve snuck around with him behind Michael’s back.
And honestly, if that asshole was still alive somewhere, I’d love to punch him. Just once. Maybe twice.
When my eyes met Sarah’s, she was already watching me closely. I quickly hid my smile and stayed quiet as she pulled out her pocketknife, the one that looked like it was made just for her, and handed it over to me.
I stared at it, confused. Then at her.
Everybody knew Sarah never let anyone touch that knife. Yet here she was, offering it to me.
She nodded at the apple in my hand, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips as she caught the hesitation in my eyes. Every time her lips curved into that smile, my whole body went up in flames.
How was a guy supposed to resist an innocent smile like that?
I reached for her hand, and the instant our fingers brushed as I took the knife from her, my heart did this strange little flip.
Being around her had always been a test of self-control for me. It started back on the ranch, and being on the road together hadn’t helped. She was like a living fire, drawing me in, and it was damn hard not to get burned standing this close.
I cut the apple in half, unable to look away from her. My gaze drifted to her body—that fucking perfect body that I wanted to touch and lick and consume every inch of it.
Silently, I handed back her knife along with half the apple.
She took the apple, looking surprised. “Thank you.”
I got to my feet, still looking at her, just a breath of space between us. I could feel the heat coming off her, smell the faint scent of flowers on her skin, and even hear her heartbeat. Suddenly, leaving became ten times harder.
I took a big bite of my half, trying to calm the storm brewing in my chest, then finally turned and started walking.
“Boys,” she called, making Michael and me look back. “Can you at least bring me chocolate?”
Michael smirked, shaking his head. “We’ll see.”
Four hours later, we were on our way back to camp. I held onto my backpack straps, the weight of the supplies we’d picked up pressing on my shoulders. I caught Michael scanning the clearing, his face lighting up as he looked for his sister, like their argument earlier had never even happened.
“Hey, Sarah! You won’t believe this, but I actually found you some cho—”
As soon as his words cut off, a chill of dread crept into my bones.
We stopped short, staring at the camp. The sight knocked the wind out of us.
Everything felt wrong. The fire was out, nothing but cold ash, and our stuff was thrown all over the place, although it didn’t look like anything had been stolen. Except for one thing.
Sarah was gone.
Michael tore through the tents, but they were empty. There was no sign of her.
“Sarah, where are you?” Michael shouted in the middle of the camp.
Only silence answered back. The worst kind of silence.
If someone took her… I swear to God, I was gonna make them pay.
We tore through the campsite, flipping every piece of tossed clothing, every overturned pot, and every damn scattered sleeping bag.
I spotted Sarah’s pocketknife, dropped near the lake. I knew her well enough to know she’d never leave that behind without a fight. Something bad had happened. Something really bad.
And then we saw it.
A blood trail.
I had to fight back a scream of pure rage.
My eyes followed the blood trail next to Sarah’s boot prints, leading into the woods. Then I saw two more sets of footprints beside hers, and that’s when fear turned into something darker.
I’d stared death in the face more times than I could count, but the thought of losing her? That cut deeper than any blade ever could.
We never should’ve left her alone. This was my fault.
My fists clenched so tight my knuckles went white.
Michael’s face went pale like he’d seen a ghost.
“James, please. We need to find her.” His voice shook as he grabbed my arm.
I took off running, dread pumping through my veins. It was a freezing night, but we didn’t give a damn about the cold. We searched for hours, side by side, chasing every sound, every maybe. Once, we heard branches snap ahead, but it was just a fucking squirrel.
When the night was almost over, the bootprints led us to a cave. I didn’t even hesitate. I stepped in first, my flashlight casting weak circles on the damp walls. The only sounds were our heavy breathing, echoing back at us.
Then, a voice. Fragile. Quivering.
“Please… don’t hurt me.”
My light landed on her, and my heart nearly stopped.
Sarah looked so small and defenseless, curled up on the floor. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her whole body shaking like she was trying to find warmth that just wasn’t there.
Who the hell did this to her?
At the sound of my steps, she looked up, her cheeks streaked with tears. For a second, I wasn’t sure she even saw us. But then her eyes locked on mine, and the fear melted into relief.
“Boys!” She scrambled to her feet and threw herself into our arms.
“Jesus Christ, Sarah! You’re so cold.”
I held her tight, and she clung to me just as hard. She felt smaller somehow, as if something in her had cracked. Her braids were a mess, her lips pale, and she was shivering like the cold settled deep into her bones.
When we pulled apart, I wrapped my jacket around her shoulders. She needed it more than I did.
She wiped the last of her tears and looked at me. “T-Thanks.”
“What happened, Sarah?” Michael asked, his eyes fixed on a deep, bloody cut above her knee.
I crouched beside her and peeled the fabric back. The blood was crusted, but the cut still looked raw and angry.
“I-I heard voices… t-two men… t-they just showed up at the ca-camp out of nowhere. I-I ran, but… they fo-followed me.”
Hearing her stumble through those words triggered something violent in me. I should’ve been there. Should’ve kept her safe from shit like that. And it hurt like hell knowing she’d been all alone.
I stood up slowly, still holding on to the fury building just under the surface.
“Sarah, did they hurt you?”
My question—no, my demand—ripped out of me before I could stop myself. I didn’t mean to sound that furious, but every bloodstain on her made me want to rip someone apart.
I was going to fucking kill whoever touched her!
“It was an a-accident… I-I cut myself back at camp… when I realized it wasn’t y-you coming back,” she admitted.
And that made it worse, because now—now I knew she’d been so scared, she’d ended up hurting herself too.
What kind of nightmare was this?
“I-I’m really sorry, big brother… I didn’t mean for t-this to happen.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“But… but it’s all… my fault. I wasn’t c-careful… and now I’m hurt again… and y-you had to fix me. I always make things worse…”
“None of this is your fault.”
Why did she blame herself?
Michael gently kissed the top of her head. “I won’t leave you behind again, little sister. I thought the camp would be safe… but I see now there’s no safe place left.” He looked just as guilty as I felt. “Let’s grab our stuff and find somewhere new.”
Sarah’s lips trembled before she caught them between her teeth. I could see she didn’t feel safe in this world anymore. Not out here at least. And as much as I hated that, I understood it.
Michael started walking ahead, gun in hand. But Sarah didn’t move, so I stayed beside her. The fear coming off her was like a living thing between us. And all I wanted was to pull her into me and take her to a place where this fucked-up world couldn’t touch her.
Sarah’s eyes met mine, and for the first time, I forgot she was Michael’s sister.
“James… I-I’m scared.”
“I’ve got you. I won’t let anyone get that close to you again.”